Trent Alexander-Arnold insists he has only been learning Spanish for ‘a couple of months’, despite producing a near-fluent speech at his Real Madrid unveiling last week.
The 26-year-old ex-Liverpool right-back was named in Xabi Alonso’s starting XI for the side’s Club World Cup opener against Al-Hilal on Wednesday to become the seventh Englishman to represent Madrid.
Madrid were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw and it was a mixed debut from Alexander-Arnold in Miami, which perhaps should be expected given the full-back had only signed on the dotted line at the Bernabeu just six days earlier.
Alonso’s men looked to be heading for victory after Gonzalo Garcia broke the deadlock with a scuffed finish towards the end of the first half, only for Al-Hilal to equalise from the spot through Ruben Neves just seven minutes later.
Los Blancos pushed for a winner after the break, but a combination of the woodwork and some goalkeeping heroics from Al-Hilal’s Yassine Bounou prevented Los Blancos from sealing all three points.
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The La Liga giants will hope to make amends when they take on Mexican outfit Pachuca at North Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium on Sunday evening.
‘Incredible day. To have made my debut for Real Madrid, it’s something that I think almost every player dreams of.To be able to achieve that is huge for me,’ Alexander-Arnold told DAZN shortly after the final whistle.
‘Of course, there’s some disappointment in there to have not won the game.
‘That’s the mentality you need to have as a Real Madrid player, to want and expect to win every game we play in.
‘We’re disappointed not to have done that, but there were a lot of positives, especially in the second half.’
Alexander-Arnold, who was taken off for Lucas Vazquez in the second period, passed on his thanks to Madrid’s ‘truly amazing’ fans who ‘dominated the stands’ at Hard Rock Stadium.
‘Incredible. I felt the support from the moment I signed with the club, to be honest,’ the England international added.
‘Absolutely sensation. A fanbase that is global, truly global, all over the world. You feel it every single day.
‘The fans are at the training ground, the hotel, all over social media. The support is incredible. A huge thank you for that.
‘We dominated the stands today which is incredible. The support is truly amazing.’
Liverpool supporters were left stunned by the speech Alexander-Arnold gave at his Madrid presentation, leading many to speculate that a move had been in the works for much longer than the defender had been letting on.
But asked how long he had been learning the language, Alexander-Arnold replied: ‘Not too long! A couple of months.
‘It was something that I found was very important for me to do.
‘I want to adapt and give myself the best start possible, going to a new city, a new country and a new team.
‘It’s important to show the intent and show that I want to embrace the culture, immerse myself in it and adapt as best as possible.
‘That was very important for me to do that.’
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel joked that Alexander-Arnold must have been learning Spanish for at least a year while reacting to the defender’s post-match interview in the DAZN studio.
‘He’s been a fantastic player for Liverpool, he spent 20 years there and won everything for Liverpool,’ Obi Mikel said.
‘But one thing I disagree with him now is that he spent a couple of months learning Spanish. I don’t agree with that!
‘I think it’s a bit longer… about a year.’
On Alexander-Arnold’s debut display, Obi Mikel continued: ‘You know when you play for Real Madrid that the scrutiny is going to get bigger.
‘But, obviously, this is his first game. I don’t think we need to judge him.
‘Listen, what Trent gives you going forward is fantastic. Yes, sometimes we do criticise him about his defending, but I think now at Real Madrid, he’s going to have time with Alonso to work on his defending.
‘That’s something he needs to tighten up. But going forward, what he gives you is absolutely fantastic.’
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